Paige Pierce
Paige Pierce, from Plano, Texas, is the number one ranked and rated female professional disc golfer in the world. She is a five-time World Champion, and has been consistently ranked in the top four professional women between 2011 and 2019. In 2018 she achieved the highest player rating a woman has ever had at 978. In 2019 she broke her own record setting a new high player rating of 980, and broke that record again in July 2020 by reaching 988 rated.[1] In November 2019 she announced a multi-year deal with Discraft.
| Paige Pierce | |
|---|---|
| — Disc Golfer — | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 1991 Plano, TX |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) |
| Nationality |  |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2009 |
| Current tour(s) | PDGA National Tour Disc Golf Pro Tour |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PDGA National Tour | 21 |
| Disc Golf Pro Tour | 17 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| PDGA World Championships | Won: 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 |
| USWDGC | Won: 2014, 2017, 2018 |
| Aussie Open | Won: 2017 |
| European Masters | 3rd: 2014 |
| European Open | Won: 2013, 2019 |
| Japan Open | 2nd: 2014 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| PDGA Female Rookie of the Year | 2010 |
| National Tour Series Champion | 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 |
| PDGA Female Player of the Year | 2015, 2017 |
Pierce began playing disc golf at the age of 4 with her father and his friends. She went professional in 2009 and started touring in 2010.
After winning the US Women's Disc Golf Championship in 2014, Pierce made history by becoming the first female to ever win the USDGC Performance Flight division.[2] She narrowly missed qualifying for the Open division in 2015, missing a playoff for the fifth qualifying spot by two strokes. In 2017 at the first major championship of the year, The Aussie Open, she shot amongst the top 10 scores of all divisions earning her a coveted qualification for the Open Flight of the USDGC. In 2018 she once again earned a qualifying spot when she won the United States Women's Disc Golf Championship. [3]
Professional career
In addition to Pierce's five World Championships, she also holds two Mixed Doubles World Championships, both with Jeremy Koling.[4]
Majors (13)
| Year | Tournament | Stroke Margin | Winning Score | Runner Up | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | PDGA World Championships | -3 | (89-89-91-88-60-28=445) | Valarie Jenkins | $2,000 |
| 2012 | Stockholm Open | -8 | (62-65-65-72=264) | Valarie Jenkins | $1,302 |
| 2013 | Copenhagen Open | -6 | (67-65-72-67=271) | Valarie Jenkins | $931 |
| 2013 | European Open | -2 | (68-79-68-68=283) | Valarie Jenkins | $1,300 |
| 2013 | PDGA World Championships | -1 | (58-63-61-59-56-59-54-35=445) | Valarie Jenkins | $2,000 |
| 2014 | USWDGC | -6 | (55-68-57-72=252) | Valarie Jenkins | $2,300 |
| 2015 | PDGA World Championships | -1 | (68-62-65-65-64-60-32=416) | Sarah Hokom | $2,500 |
| 2017 | Aussie Open 2017 | -20 | (62-64-59-69=254) | Jennifer Allen | $1,100 |
| 2017 | 2017 United State's Women's Disc Golf Championships | -6 | (53-65-61-48=227) | Jessica Weese | $2,200 |
| 2017 | PDGA World Championships[5] | -5 | (65-60-68-66= 259) | Valarie Jenkins | $5,500 |
| 2018 | United States Women's Disc Golf Championships | -2 | (67-59-59-61=246) | Vanessa VanDyken | $2,040 |
| 2019 | European Open | -2 | (61-62-65-66=254) | Henna Blomroos | $2,030 |
| 2019 | PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships | -5 | (64-57-59-52-52=284) | Eveliina Salonen | $5,000 |
Majors playoff record (0-1)
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | US Women’s Disc Golf Championship | Catrina Allen | Lost |
National Tour (22)
| Year | Tournament | Stroke Margin | Winning Score | Runner Up | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Memorial Championship | -1 | (58-61-63-56=238) | Valarie Jenkins | $1,300 |
| 2011 | Kansas City Wide Open | -5 | (64-51-70-59=244) | Liz Lopez | $675 |
| 2013 | Memorial Championship | -11 | (54-52-58-52=216) | Valarie Jenkins | $1,600 |
| 2014 | Memorial Championship | -10 | (55-51-54-59=219) | Catrina Allen | $1,600 |
| 2014 | Texas State Championships | Playoff | (72-71-75=218) | Catrina Allen | $857 |
| 2014 | Kansas City Wide Open | -4 | (60-66-58-33=217) | Valarie Jenkins | $900 |
| 2014 | Maple Hill Open | -3 | (64-65-61-65=255) | Catrina Allen | $1,500 |
| 2014 | Rochester Flying Disc Open | -10 | (58-53-56-55=222) | Catrina Allen | $900 |
| 2015 | Memorial Championship | -2 | (55-62-48-61=226) | Valarie Jenkins | $1,775 |
| 2015 | Glass Blown Open | -11 | (58-56-61=175) | Jennifer Allen | $1,200 |
| 2015 | Masters Cup | -7 | (78-72-72=222) | Valarie Jenkins | $1,800 |
| 2015 | Maple Hill Open | -5 | (61-63-59-70=253) | Catrina Allen | $1,600 |
| 2015 | Disc Golf Hall of Fame Classic | -2 | (57-74-67=198) | Valarie Jenkins | $1,300 |
| 2016 | Vibram Open | -1 | (66-63-59-57=245) | Catrina Allen | $1,500 |
| 2017 | Gentlemen's Club Challenge | -3 | (57-60-57-68=242) | Catrina Allen | $2,000 |
| 2017 | Dynamic Discs Glass Blown Open | Tie | (62-55=117) | Hannah Leatherman | $1,500 |
| 2017 | 2017 Masters Cup | -9 | (77-73-58=208) | Jennifer Allen | $1,500 |
| 2017 | Beaver State Fling | -18 | (58-60-57-59=234) | Valarie Jenkins | $2,000 |
| 2018 | Las Vegas Challenge | -3 | (64-57-64-59=244) | Sarah Hokom | $2,500 |
| 2018 | Dynamic Discs Glass Blown Open | -2 | (53-61-53=167) | Lisa Fajkus | $2,000 |
| 2018 | Santa Cruz Masters Cup | -12 | (78-73-56=207) | Catrina Allen | $2,000 |
| 2019 | Beaver State Fling | -3 | (60-57-62-66=245) | Catrina Allen | $2,250 |
| 2020 | Memorial Championship | -14 | (48+49+48+55=200) | Jennifer Allen | $1,500 |
| 2020 | Dynamic Discs Open | -10 | (60+61+66=187) | Missy Gannon | $1,500 |
| 2020 | The Preserve Championship | -13 | (55+56+55=166) | Catrina Allen | $1,600 |
| 2020 | Discraft's Great Lakes Open | -6 | (59+58+59=176) | Ellen Widboom | $2,000 |
NT playoff record (1-3)
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Kansas City Wide Open | Catrina Allen | Lost to birdie on first extra hole [6] |
| 2014 | Texas State Championships | Catrina Allen | Won with par on second extra hole [7] |
| 2015 | Ledgestone Insurance Open | Catrina Allen | Lost to par on first extra hole [8] |
| 2016 | Beaver State Fling | Catrina Allen | Lost to birdie on first extra hole [9] |
Summary
| Competition Tier | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Events* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championships | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 9 |
| Other Majors | 4 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 15 |
| National Tour | 14 | 15 | 5 | 42 | 45 |
*As of January 1, 2017
Annual statistics
| Year | Events | Wins | Top 3 | Earnings | $ / Event | Rating † | World Rankings† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | 2 | $0 | $0 | 890 | - |
| 2008 | 2 | 0 | 1 | $0 | $0 | 899 | 35 |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 | 1 | $50 | $16.67 | 904 | 35 |
| 2010 | 17 | 1 | 8 | $3,643 | $214.29 | 934 | 8 |
| 2011 | 29 | 13 | 22 | $11,249 | $387.90 | 948 | 4 |
| 2012 | 27 | 9 | 24 | $12,209 | $452.19 | 960 | 4 |
| 2013 | 26 | 11 | 23 | $18,128 | $697.23 | 961 | 3 |
| 2014 | 24 | 14 | 22 | $17,661 | $735.88 | 976 | 1 |
| 2015 | 29 | 20 | 27 | $26,571 | $916.24 | 962 | 1 |
| 2016 | 21 | 7 | 20 | $18,556 | $883.62 | 958 | 3 |
| 2017 | 27 | 21 | 24 | $36,328 | $1,345.48 | 975 | 1 |
| 2018 | 24 | 15 | 21 | $26,877 | $1,119.88 | 969 | 1 |
| 2019 | 24 | 13 | 21 | $33,630 | $1,401.25 | 979 | 1 |
| Career | 281 | 131 | - | $224,584 | $799 | - | - |
†At Year End
References
- "PDGA World Rankings".
- "Pierce Makes History".
- "Windy then Wet Qualifier".
- "PDGA Player Page: Paige Pierce".
- "2017 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships". Professional Disc Golf Association. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
- "Paul McBeth, Catrina Ulibarri win at 2013 Kansas City Wide Open".
- Michalowski, J. "Wysocki, Pierce fight the elements to win 2014 Texas States".
- Parcell, Z. "Ledgestone Insurance Open: Simon Lizotte, Catrina Allen take down largest disc golf purse".
- Hill, S. "Wysocki Flies To Third Straight NT Win At Beaver State Fling".